Any trip to the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok, Thailand includes much more than what you come for or what you’ve ever imagined.

The first thing to lure me into the infamous hotel was a blurb in Lonely Planet’s Southeast Asia on a shoestring, saying Somerset Maugham, one of my favorite authors, stayed there. The Razor’s Edge author is one of the hotel’s many famous guests. Lonely Planet’s guide suggests readers visit the hotel’s Author Wing.

So I did.

From the moment I arrived, a simple tea at the hotel felt like something much more. Before finally settling for wicker seating in the front of the Wing, My friend and I peaked around the famous dining area to find a balcony where musicians play and a small library featuring classic novels in what looked like their original publication.

We feasted on our three deck serving of cakes and small sandwiches as we shared tea pretending we were living another life.

That trip to the Mandarin Oriental was on my second day in Thailand as well as second day of a two-month, backpacking tour of southeast Asia with my boyfriend Ric. Lucky for me it wouldn’t be my last trip to the famous hotel. In fact, I paid the place one last visit a day before leaving Bangkok for America. Closing the trip just as I started it.

But instead of visiting one of the hotel’s restaurants, this time I visited its spa. And trust me, after two months of backpacking-it was much needed.

Photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental.

Ric and I pulled up to the front entrance of the famous hotel by taxi to be greeted by a man in an old-fashioned, Thai military uniform. From the moment we stepped out of the taxi, the hotel’s 135-year history and glorious decor unfolded layer upon layer.

The doors opened into the hotel lobby, but seemed to open into another world. The entrance is brightly lit by a wall of windows, which stretch to its high ceiling. Wooden bird cages hang from the top and fresh flowers decorate the bottom.

At the entrance one member of the hotel’s team of smiling hospitality staff wearing traditional Thai dresses, asked how she could help. She led us to the Oriental Spa pointing out the hotel’s pool and a restaurant, among other things along the way. We arrived at the Mae Nam Chao Phraya River, which runs through Bangkok, and she informed us that one of the hotel’s ferries would arrive shortly to shuttle us across the river to the spa.

I could easily see Somerset Maugham, the author that first led me to this grand establishment, cruising around on the glossy wooden boat I was on now, occasionally leaning over to scribble something down in a small notebook.

Ric and I both could have easily spent the day wandering around the hotel and been happy, but we had something even better planned, 90 minutes of bliss at the hotel’s spa.

Wooden chairs line the balcony leading up to the spa’s doors where people can take off their outside shoes and put on hotel slippers. Not long after noticing the chairs, a fresh faced Thai woman in beige, traditional garb came out to greet us and start our spa experience.

She served us bale fruit tea, iced, then placed slippers on our feet and let us know about the service we would be receiving. We were scheduled for The Oriental Signature Treatment, THB 4,500, which is a massage featuring both Thai and European techniques.

After a short and pleasant introduction, our masseuses Siriporn and Chanya came out to greet Ric and I and lead us to to our suite.

As I said before, nothing at the Mandarin Oriental is just a service, it’s a total experience. The suite where Ric and I were to receive our treatment came with robes, a shower, which converted into a steam room, a welcome package with toiletries and more. Our masseuses gave Ric and I a few minutes to make use of the suite’s facilities.

After getting to know the room we laid down side by side on firm white pads and waited for our masseuses to re-enter.

Before starting the massage, my masseuse Chanya asked me to choose which oil I would like her to use during my treatment. I chose the spa’s invigorating oil, which smells of peppermint, rather than its romance oil which smells of lavender.

Starting at the feet, Chanya released two months of aches and pains that came from carrying a 20-kilo bag across three countries and the usual harsh care people have for themselves when their only concern is travel.

Photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental.

She worked her way up my entire back, not missing an inch. She followed that doing just the same to my front. Her style of massage at this point felt generally European, but the focus on pressure points was not something I had felt before visiting southeast Asia.

After a thorough massage, she went into the traditional Thai technique of stretching and cracking my hip joint, ankles and more. A mixture of the two types of massage techniques not only left me feeling relaxed at that moment, but invigorated over the next few days.

The spa treatment went way too fast. But our experience wasn’t over yet. At the end our masseuses gave us the choice of ginger or lemon grass tea. Once they served our choices they welcomed us to take our time in the room and leave when we were ready. It was hard to even move after feeling so at peace.

Obviously not everyone’s southeast Asian travel budget can include a trip to the Mandarin Oriental’s spa. But no trip to Bangkok is complete without just a visit to the famous hotel. However, if you can fit in something more than a visit, do it. A trip to their spa made my body forget it ever traveled southeast Asia, but gave my mind an experience it will never forget.

Thanks to the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok for sponsoring this post. Visit their website, become a fan on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. But most importantly, visit them in Bangkok at 48 Oriental Avenue in Bangkok.